Wade Barrett tells WWE he will not renew his contract in June

Several sources reported early last month the former Intercontinental Champion expressed his intent to part ways with WWE when his contract expiress over the summer. The reported reason for leaving dissatisfaction with his (presumably his character’s) role. My first thought when I heard of this is he is looking to negotiate a new direction for himself within the company. The question is if WWE would be willing to let him go or try to keep him but in another role.

Barrett, whose current storyline has him as part of a stable with three other superstars has been a Heel for most of his WWE tenure. Even when he was recovering from an injury two years ago, WWE used it as an opportunity to introduce his new persona Bad News Barrett, whose catchphrase “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news” quickly became as popular as Daniel Bryan’s “YES!” Chant.

If he does leave WWE, Barrett would be another unintended casualty of the mega push Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and TNA import AJ Stiles have been getting. Reigns, who himself returned from a medical scare in December 2014 after being out for 4 months will main event Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas when he goes up against Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Presumably, Barrett likely learned he probably won’t be on the card for Wrestlemania 32.

The Show of Shows is WWE’s Super Bowl: It’s where legends are made. Despite being a veteran on the roster, Barrett hasn’t really had a big Wrestlemania moment. He’s spent much of his career putting folks over or being fed to faces rather than getting too many pushes–like I just mentioned, the highest title he held was the Intercontinental Championship.

Barrett would be missed though if he doesn’t work for another promotion, he’ll likely become an analyst or something outside the squared circle. On an unrelated note, I was sure I posted this when the news first btoke last month XD